Bessy Binu Sam1, Vijayan Chandrathil Parameswaran Nair2, Vishnupriya Prakasan3, Anu Susan Sam4
BACKGROUND
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system. Risk of ovarian cancer increases with age, but the rate of increase slows after the menopause. Use of contraceptives confers long-term protection against ovarian cancer. This observational study examines the correlation between ovarian cancer risks with different contraceptive methods.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was conducted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala, for a period of one year. Information was collected from 112 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer as treatment group and 336 women without ovarian cancer as control group. The Chi-square test was done to find the association of ovarian cancer risk with different contraceptive methods.
RESULTS
In the sample of 112 women with ovarian cancer, 53.6% women were using any of the contraceptive methods, whereas in the control group, only 5.1% women were using contraceptive methods. Our study found out a significant association of ovarian cancer risk with oral contraceptives and tubal ligation. There was no significant association of ovarian cancer risk with IUCD, sheath and vasectomy.
CONCLUSION
Tubal ligation and oral contraceptives reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. The dual benefits of tubal ligation need to be made aware among the public and tubal sterilisation rates have to be enhanced. Oral contraceptive pill use has to be propagated as a temporary contraceptive method due to its added advantage. We recommend future research on the association of ovarian cancer risk and contraceptive methods using large samples comparable to those done in developed countries
